Although results of the joint effort aren’t specific to Intel-powered MeeGo handsets from Nokia, it appears as though the two tech giants are trying to position MeeGo as the mobile interface of the future. News of a lab looking at 3-D interfaces doesn’t appear all that ground-breaking, however, as the incumbents in mobile are doing the same: Back in May, for example, Google purchased Bumptop, which could eventually end up on tablets and handhelds. 3-D interfaces haven’t yet taken off on more powerful mobile devices, so it may be too soon to bank hopes on a virtual world in your hand.

In a sense, both Intel and Nokia are doing just that, however, as they flail around trying to position MeeGo as a competitive platform. On a conference call I attended yesterday to announce the lab, both companies touted the 3-D Internet in use on a handheld with sensors and even mentioned possible holograms in the release. It sure sounds like a wonderful future: Intel Atom chips powering Nokia devices for virtual worlds where we can meet, chat and play. It also sounds like a future that mainstream consumers won’t see — or want to see — for several years yet, which isn’t going to help MeeGo find its way against the established platforms of today. Indeed, when I argued that Nokia should abandon MeeGo for Android, part of my thought process was that Nokia hasn’t yet provided a compelling reason why it should continue with MeeGo. As hip as a 3-D, virtual interface sounds, I still don’t see a reason for it.